The USTA announced that it has chosen the Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon, for the Davis Cup final to be contested November 30 - December 1, 2007. We will battle Russia, the defending champions.
We haven't had contested a DC final on home soil since 1992 in Fort Worth, Texas when we beat Switzerland.
I can't be more excited. I've never been to the Pacific coast Portland, and I've heard nothing but great things about the city.
Great people, great scenery, great restaurants. And to think that the New York Times article just came out yesterday, the same day the USTA formally announced the site for the final. Talk about perfect timing. I'm such a foodie, I'm going to gain ten pounds eating at all the great restaurants!
Winston-Salem, North Carolina, was on the final list of considered sites, and after my experience there for the quarterfinals against Spain, I had actually hoped we'd be going back there. But I've always wanted to visit Oregon, so there's nothing better than Davis Cup to bring me there. According to the article published yesterday in the Winston-Salem Journal:
Chris Widmaier, the USTA’s senior director for public relations, said that Portland was selected because of the USTA’s mission of taking Davis Cup ties to various locations around the country.
“It was a tough decision, but it has long been the USTA’s mission to use the Davis Cup as a means of supporting and generating interest around the country,” Widmaier said. “We have not been to Portland since 1984, so it has been two decades. They have a fine facility and a strong group of people who put an impressive bid together. So this is an opportunity for the Pacific section of the USTA to spur interest in the Portland-Seattle are.
“That said, it was a tough decision, because we have great respect for Don Flow and the city of Winston-Salem. They put on one of the most memorable Davis Cup ties ever in April. We appreciate how the entire community supported and embraced us.”
If you want the full skinny about why the USTA chose Portland, click here.
As a NetHead, I'm going to lose my mind screaming for the USA to bring the Cup back to the States for the first time since 1995. Incidentally, we beat Russia on slow, wet, red clay in Moscow, so the Russian team will want revenge o the fast indoor hardcourts in Portland. But this very US team will want revenge for losing to the current Russian team just last year in the semifinals on slow, wet, red clay in Moscow. Is there an echo in here?
Go, USA!
Related Article
Roddick Closes In on Davis Cup Dream
0 comments:
Post a Comment